State clears extension of Metro 7 up to Terminal 2

The Dahisar-Andheri corridor will now go underground all the way to Sahar airport.

The proposed Metro 7 corridor, which was initially planned to run between Dahisar and Andheri, will now be extended up to the T2 terminal at the international airport, Sahar. From Andheri signal, the Metro will go underground through a 2.2-km tunnel.

The state government has cleared a blueprint by executing body MMRDA to expand the Metro 7 line for higher ridership and better connectivity, said highly placed sources in Mantralaya. It has already announced extending the Dahisar end of the corridor up to Mira-Bhayander on the north.

The extensions will allow people in the western suburbs reach the Sahar airport through Metro, said Pravin Darade, additional commissioner of MMRDA. It will also provide them Metro connectivity to south Mumbai via the airport station – from here commuters will be able to switch over to the Colaba-Seepz Line 3.

With almost all the operations at the Santacruz airport moving towards the international airport, the extension will be of immense importance to commuters.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) decided to take the Metro 7 to the international airport on the suggestions of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the consultant for Metro projects in Maharashtra.

In its project report, the consultant had said that Mumbai, which is the financial capital and has seen fast-paced growth in the suburbs, needed better connectivity. With the extension, there can also be a Metro link connecting Mira-Bhayander with the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar with a break at Western Express Highway station.

According to a senior MMRDA official, the Andheri-Dahisar sector was to cost Rs 6000 crore, but the cost will escalate by Rs 4,000 crore with the extension to Mira-Bhayander. MMRDA Commissioner U P S Madan said the project estimate will go up by another Rs 600 crore for the underground route to T2.

Piling has already begun in full swing. The MMRDA will start work on the underground route in 2018.